Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Kennesaw State University

09/29/2026

The Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) proudly represented the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at KSU’s Extreme Involvement Fair on September 21, 2026! Our chemistry majors and volunteers connected with fellow students by sharing information about chemistry-related professional development opportunities, networking, community outreach, and many other benefits of joining SAACS. A big thank you to faculty mentor Dr. Wei Zhou for supporting our chapter!

09/24/2026

The Kennesaw State University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was well represented at GSU’s Green Chemistry Awareness Day event earlier this week to promote sustainable chemistry practices and environmental responsibility. At the event, several undergraduate and graduate students presented their research during the Green Chemistry Poster Showcase. Four KSU posters out of 30 overall won awards for their presentations. Congratulations!

First Place for Graduate Research: Ryan Oldham
Title: Green by Design: A Novel Multistep Synthesis with an Intramolecular Diels-Alder Reaction for the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory
PI: Dr. Animesh Aditya

Second Place for Graduate Research: Aidan Heeman, Landry King
Title: A Mechanochemical Approach to the Synthesis of New U-Shaped Ligands and Their Corresponding Metal Complexes PI: Dr. Daniela Tapu
(note: this poster was misclassified in the graduate category, but still won the award)

Third Place for Graduate Research: Kyle L. Whitaker
Title: Chromatography-Free Purification of Sequence-Defined Amphiphilic Peptoids: A Sustainable and Green Strategy
PI: Dr. Progyateg Chakma

Second Place for Undergraduate Research: Selina Huynh, Chase House
PI: Dr. Daniela Tapu
Title: Mechanochemistry as a Sustainable Route to NHC Metal Complexes and Catalytic C-C Bond Formation

06/18/2026

05/15/2026

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Kennesaw State University recently hosted a 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) event, celebrating the outstanding research and accomplishments of the MSCB graduate students. Modeled after the MSCB program’s vision of making science accessible and impactful, participants presented their thesis work in just three minutes using a single slide, challenging them to distill complex ideas for a broad audience.

The event highlighted the creativity, dedication, and innovation of our graduating students, showcasing the depth and significance of their research. First place was awarded to Blaise Williams from Dr. Saint-Louis' lab, whose presentation stood out for its clarity and impact. Second place went to Momena Begum from Dr. Halim's lab, while Nishat Tasnim from Dr. Marshall's lab earned third place. Congratulations again to our graduating class!

04/16/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Stollenz for his advanced article publication of "Ethylene-bridged bis(borylamidinates) as near-UV fluorescent emitters with narrow emission bands" in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemical Communications journal! Equal contributors from KSU include alum Alvaro Calderón-Díaz (Chemistry '18, MSCB '21), CSM postdoc Tomasz Kruczyński, and CSM postdoc alum Sanjay Dutta.

DOI:

A series of thermal, air, and photostable near-UV (NUV) light emitting bis(difluoroborylamidinates) interconnected by non-conjugating ethylene bridges is reported. The solid-state emissions are accompanied by high radiative decay rates, remarkable color purities, and narrow emission bands. The cryst...

04/09/2026

March was a busy month for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry! The department held several events throughout the month to help chemistry and biochemistry students explore potential careers and professional development opportunities. Learn more about the events below!

Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Shadow Day: Several chemistry and biochemistry students had the unique opportunity to visit the GBI Division of Forensic Sciences offices and laboratories on Wednesday, March 18th. Students had the opportunity to work one-on-one with GBI scientists, as well as meaningful conversations with the department's leadership team, including directors and lab managers, about career pathways in forensic science.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Career Day: DEA special agent Megan Krieger and her colleague from the DEA drug analysis lab visited KSU on Monday, March 23rd, to share information about career opportunities within the organization. They held an information table and information sessions, answering questions from students interested in learning more about what it's like to be a DEA special agent.

Morehouse School of Medicine Lunch and Learn: CSM majors had the opportunity to attend a lunch-and-learn with the Morehouse School of Medicine to learn more about their Agile Clinical Trials (ACT) Training Program, a no-cost, 16-week clinical research program open to chemistry, biochemistry, and biology students, on Thursday, March 26th. Representatives from the Morehouse School of Medicine led an engaging discussion and provided students with information about clinical research pathway programs to help further their professional development.